Since January 2012, the anonymous Twitter account “dodgerproblems” has sparked interest and intrigue in the student body of Madison High School and has accumulated nearly 400 followers. On May 1, 2013, senior Emily Beaman revealed her secret identity at the talent show. Only two days later, the Madison Dodger (MD) was fortunate enough to interview Emily Beaman (EB) about the account and find out her feelings about the situation and the big reveal.
MD: What inspired you to create “dodgerproblems”?
EB: Last year, one of my friends from Villa Walsh had a similar Twitter account, but it wasn’t anonymous. I liked the idea, but though the account might be funnier if it was anonymous. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be funny enough, but I made up a few tweets and just tried it out. I had no idea it was going to take off the way it did.
MD: How did you keep your identity a secret for so long? Were you ever tempted to tell anyone?
EB: At first, I was too scared to tell people. I was kind of embarrassed because I thought people might think it was really weird. I also thought people might not think it was funny if they knew it was me, and I don’t think it would have gone on for so long. I was really nervous, and sometimes tempted to tell people. I did tell a few people before. At first, I told Caitlin [Noto] and that was about it. But the person who helped me figure it all out was Lainie Rowland.
MD: Madison Dodger Online’s very own Lainie Rowland?
EB: [Laughs]. Yeah. She knew from the beginning. One day in band class, she encouraged me to start the account.
MD: Well, a lot of people thought dodger problems was Lainie.
EB: Yeah, she was the first one to follow the account. But a few people figured out that it was me because I met “soccergirlproblems” at a soccer tournament and told her about the account. Then she tweeted at me and mentioned dodger problems. I tried to play it off like it wasn’t me, but a lot of people caught it. I was able to get people to stop thinking about it.
MD: How did you react when people accused you of being “dodgerproblems”?
EB: I got really nervous. When I ran into everybody after the soccer tournament and people had seen the tweet, everyone was saying, “it’s so obvious that it’s you.” I was just telling them that it wasn’t true and I was nervous people wouldn’t believe me. Before that tweet [from soccergirlproblems] it was easier to pretend that it wasn’t me, but after that tweet was out I was nervous it wouldn’t stay a secret for much longer.
MD: Is that the reason you decided to tell everyone?
EB: Well, I eventually wanted to tell people. When I started, I didn’t really know how long I was going to go with it. I was nervous about how I was going to tell people because I kind of wanted it to be special. Then I thought, “Why don’t I do it at the talent show?” So at the end of my soccer season, I told Lynott about it. From the beginning of my senior year, that was the plan. I was also running out of ideas for tweets.
MD: So that’s why you wanted to be an emcee?
EB: Pretty much. And they needed people to do it.
MD: Do you still tweet from the account?
EB: Kind of. I used to tweet every day or every other day junior year, but this year, I only tweet a few times a month.
MD: How did your peers respond when you revealed yourself as “dodgerproblems”?
EB: When I told Brett [Spelker] and Rachel [Massaro] before the talent show, they freaked out. They couldn’t believe that it was me. Some people were really surprised, and other people were like, “I knew it.” A few of my close friends were shocked that I never said anything. After the talent show, everyone went back and they were like, “oh, it’s totally you,” after rereading the tweets.
MD: Dodgerproblems only follows the Madison Dodger Online on Twitter. How come?
EB: I wanted to keep myself connected to the school somehow. When I first started the account, the Madison Dodger Online tweeted at me so I figured I would follow them. I also love the Dodger Online.
MD: And that was a part of tricking people too, right? Because you’re not a member of the Dodger Online staff?
EB: Exactly. I tried to tweet from a lot of different perspectives so people wouldn’t suspect that it was me. That definitely helped me keep my identity a secret.
MD: What will become of dodgerproblems after you graduate?
EB: I don’t know yet. A lot of people have told me I should give it to someone in the school for next year to keep it going, which I think is a cool idea. But I’m not sure how I would start that or figure out who to pick. I guess I still need to think about whether or not I’m going to give it to someone next year.
MD: Thank you for taking your time to interview with the Madison Dodger Online. We wish you luck with the rest of your senior year and dodgerproblems!